January 8, 2011

PUNXSUTAWNEY â€” The Punxsy junior-high wrestling team earned six points during each of its 12 victories Thursday night while knocking off Curwensville, 66-38.

Of the Chucks' 12 wins, eight were by fall and four were by forfeit. The eight falls helped Punxsy win easily, as those accounted for 48 of the team's 66 points.

After Punxsy (4-1) fell behind 11-0, Eli Lambiotte (6-3) started the team's winning ways by pinning Sam Bressler in 2:57. Ryan Jones (5-5) followed with a loss by fall, helping the Golden Tide bump their advantage back up to 11 at 17-6.

January 7, 2011

BROOKVILLE â€” Turnovers in crucial situations have crept up on the Punxsy girls' basketball team all season, and Thursday's game in Brookville was no different.

The Lady Chucks (3-7, 0-2 District IX League) were ahead by four points at halftime only to give the ball away too many times during a 40-33 loss to Brookville.

"They came out in the third quarter and turned up the heat defensively, and we didn't handle it very well," Punxsy head coach Randy Reitz said. "Their defense created some turnovers for them, they got up eight points, and we just couldn't bring it down."

Experience was in Punxsy's favor, as all nine of the Chucks (3-4) who played are seniors or juniors. Indiana (2-9), meanwhile, received 18 of its season-high 62 points from three freshmen.

Punxsy first-year head coach Dirk Neal, who has stressed a team that defends with intensity and enthusiasm since he took the job, wasn't the least bit pleased with the way his defense performed Wednesday.

January 5, 2011

HOLLIDAYSBURG â€” Upon winning four of the first five bouts Tuesday against Hollidaysburg to build a 22-3 advantage, the Punxsy junior-high wrestling team surged toward a 57-23 victory on the road.

"We had another nice win tonight. The kids wrestled pretty well, and we saw a lot of nice things out there," Punxsy head coach Bill Burke said. "Intensity was good, and they got the job done even with a couple of starters â€” Matt BurkeÂ and Darin James â€”Â out of the lineup due to illness."

January 5, 2011

Led by senior defensive lineman Ben Blazavich, five Punxsy football players were recently named Pennsylvania Football News All-State players, with each classification getting four teams on both offense and defense for a total of 32 all-state teams.

Also included on the team as Honorable Mention were senior linebacker Ian Weaver, senior defensive back Duell Thompson, senior defensive lineman Devon Luzell and junior quarterback Logan Weaver.

January 5, 2011

HOLLIDAYSBURG â€” After falling behind 16-15 midway through its match at Hollidaysburg, the Punxsy wrestling team never lost another bout while defeating the Golden Tigers Tuesday night, 54-16.

Punxsy (5-6) was down 16-15 after a loss by fall, two defeats by decision and a loss by major decision from 152 pounds to 103 pounds. That's when Punxsy won the final seven bouts thanks to four falls, two forfeits and a decision to exit with the victory.

January 5, 2011

BROOKVILLE â€” Tuesday night's Brookville boys' varsity game against St. Marys could be called a lot of things, but perhaps the most fitting would be to call it a reality check.

The Raiders played well in the first half and led by as many as 10 points before the Dutchmen stormed out of halftime to shut down the Raiders and take the lead. From there, St. Marys never looked back, picking up a 55-45 victory in Brookville, handing the Raiders their first loss of the season in the process.

January 3, 2011

By

Staff Reports

DUBOIS â€” A strong performance from Shawnaa Crago in the post proved to be too powerful for DuBois Central Catholic Monday night as the Lady Chucks picked up a 45-37 road win over the Lady Cardinals in DuBois.

The plan was to get the ball low to Crago, and Punxsy executed all night long. The senior finished with 17 points to lead all scorers in a game that moved Punxsy's record to 3-6 on the year, with a trip to Brookville looming Thursday.

"The guards did a nice job getting her the ball in the low post," Punxsy head coach Randy Reitz said. "Shawnna did a very nice job of finishing."